Hope is a rare commodity in these times. Despite the growing awareness of the global socio-economic-environmental challenges, the poor economic climate is causing philanthropy budgets to come under pressure—for individuals, governments, and not least, corporations. With respect to the last, it portends the end of CSR as we know it – which could, paradoxically, be a good trend. As traditional CSR that are token acts of corporate goodwill become financially burdensome, the need arises for “a system that draws in innovators and businesses… [with] a twin mission [of] making profits and also improving lives for those who don’t fully benefit from market forces”, as Bill Gates expressed cogently in his 2008 Davos speech.
Arthur Conan Doyle once quipped, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data”. We at IIX and IIX Foundation, formerly known Shujog, avoid this pitfall by harnessing and analyzing our data with the aim of informing investment decision-making and adding rigor and transparency to the impact investment space. As a pioneer in impact investing in Asia, we have access to a wealth of data collected through 8 years of impact assessments, capital raising and research activities. This includes a wide range of metrics related to the impact, return and risk of impact investments.
India is taking decisive strides in shaping the global agenda on climate resilience. Climate resilience refers to the adoption of policies, governance and management structures at the national and community level to cope with the stresses imposed by climate change. To this end, the Indian government has prioritized ecological investments in its budgetary allocations through initiatives such as the Green Energy Corridor project, cleaning up the Ganges river, and investing in solar power projects.
IIX and Shujog work together to help Impact Enterprises (IEs) across Asia become investment-ready by conducting on-the-ground impact assessments and providing technical assistance to help IEs raise capital to scale. In 2016, IIX & Shujog traveled to the field to support 13 IEs across five countries. Follow us as we recap the year through a photo journal that captures some of our favourite moments from our visits to incredible IEs throughout the region!
Why should investors join the impact investment movement? IIX interviewed ICCO Investments’ CEO, Mark Joenje, for a candid look into the opportunities and challenges for investors within the space.
Over the years, impact investing has grown beyond entrepreneurs and investors, attracting an increasingly diverse array of stakeholders looking to play a catalytic role in the movement.
